


Emrys

by waterwhosleepwho



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Good Mordred (Merlin), M/M, Merlin is a Little Shit (Merlin), i just wanted to say it, it's not explicitly stated but lancelot and gwen are together, merlin and arthur isn't the main plot, someone pretends to be emrys, that's not relevent to the story, uther sucks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:00:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27255325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterwhosleepwho/pseuds/waterwhosleepwho
Summary: The magic ban is lifted and everything seems to be looking up for Merlin. Until a man turns up, claiming to be Emrys.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

It had been nearly three month since Arthur had repealed the magic ban. Merlin had informed his king that he possessed magic, backed by Mordred who came out to the king as a druid, but he had yet to inform the other of his other name. He was working up to it. Until someone put a fairly large kink in his plan. 

The Knight of the round Table were having their annual meeting, sans Gwen as she was running the blacksmith's shop while her father was away, when two men entered. Instantly, everyone was on their feet with hands on the hilt of their swords. The men hold up their hands in a gesture of surrender.

"My apologies," the taller of the two says. He had deep auburn hair and brown eyes that carried a glint that rubbed Merlin the wrong way. "i simply wanted to offer my services."

"Services?" Arthur asks warily.

"Indeed. You've gotten rid of the ban on magic correct?" Arthur nods slowly. "Great! I figured that you'd be in the market for a court sorcerer! Thus, I am here to offer my services."

Mordred and Merlin share a look. They could sense his magic. It was strong, but something about it felt...off. Wrong in some way. Arthur gestures for everyone to put the swords away. "I see. I hadn't thought about it much, but if you'd like to stay for a while we can see what you can do."

Merlin has to physically bite his tongue to keep from speaking. Seriously? This man walks in, asking to be the court sorcerer and you're just going to let him? Do you know how this works, clotpole? Mordred and Lancelot seemed to have a similar thought process if the way their heads snapped toward the king was any indication.

The sorcerer smirks and bows deep. "That sounds lovely, sire. This is my personal assistant Wesley Waterman. He gathers ingredients and such for potions. I hope it won't be an issue that he's here?"

"Not at all," Arthur says. He sits down and everyone follows suite. "Merlin here will show you to your room. What did you say your name was?"

The sorcerer bows his head. "Emrys, my lord."

And Merlin's heart stutters in his chest. He stands there frozen for what feels like an eternity until he feels Mordred's anger spike.

Mordred, don't he sends to the younger, forcing a sharp tone into the two words.

But, Merlin! He- 

I know. Just let it go. Mordred didn't look happy but he did as told and said nothing to disprove the sorcerer's claim. Lancelot and Gwaine give Merlin matching looks as he passes, but he subtly shakes his head. Stopping in front of the doors, he waits until the newcomers were ready to go before exiting the room.

"Your name is Merlin, yes?" 'Emrys' asks pleasantly as Merlin leads him and Wesley through the castle halls. Merlin glances at the man with faint surprise. Guests in the castle were rarely kind to the staff, thinking themselves above them.

"Uh, yes, sir. Did you have any bags you need help with?" Merlin asks as they turn the corner.

'Emrys' laughs. "Oh, please there's no need to call me sir. And no, I've stored away all of my things inside of Wesley's bag using a spell. It's not heavy is it?"

"No," Wesley replies quietly. "It's still not heavy."

Merlin examines Wesley out of the corner of his eyes as they approach an empty room, purposely far from Arthur's. "I see. Here we are. Carreen operates in this section of the castle, so if you need something like an extra blanket ask for her. Otherwise, feel free to call me when you need me as long as I'm not with Arthur."

"You call the king by his first name?" 'Emrys' notes with interest. Merlin internally curses himself.

"Er, yes. I've been with him for years, so it's habit by now. Sorry."

'Emrys' waves him off. "Nonsense. It was simply a question. As long as the king doesn't mind, why should I?" Merlin smiles slightly and nods. Maybe this wouldn't too bad and this man could continue to play Emrys. It would save Merlin some trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

Of course. One night in the castle seemed to turn 'Emrys' into a self centered jerk. Or perhaps playing nice was just how he gained the favor of the others before showing his true colors. He was still fairly nice, but all he seemed to want to talk about was how amazing he was.

"Tell me," Gwaine says the next day during dinner. The dining hall was lively due to the feast being held for 'Emrys'. "I've heard the name Emrys before, but I can't quite place my finger on it. Where do I know you from?"

Merlin shoots the man a dirty look as 'Emrys' brightens at the prospect of talking about himself. Or rather, Merlin. "Many things, I'm sure! I am a man of legend, among the druids!"

"Ah, yes," Lancelot says. "I remember Mordred mentioning that. He's a druid, you know."

'Emrys' looks over at the young knight. "It's always good to meet one of my followers! I'm sure you'll be wanting an autograph, I'll get it to you tomorrow morning!" Mordred looked severely annoyed and took five minutes of telepathic pleading to stop him from decking the sorcerer. "One of my most famous tales is how I defeated a high priestess of the old religion. I heard news of her injustice and traveled to her cave, stabbing her straight through the gut with an enchanted sword. She fell with a mighty scream, her unfinished spell dying as she took her last breath. I was almost killed by her curse, but she died before she finished it!"

Well, now Merlin was mildly pissed as well. That's not even close to what happened. "The Isle of the Blessed," he says before he could stop himself. All eyes snap to him as he refills Arthur's goblet.

"Pardon?" Arthur asks, giving his servant a confused look. Merlin avoids eye contact with the king and the sorcerer, instead looking at Lancelot who was right in his line of vision.

"Nimueh, the priestess. She lived on the Isle of the Blessed," he murmurs, but everyone heard him as he was the only one speaking. Thankfully, only the knights of the round table, Arthur, 'Emrys', and Wesley heard him. Otherwise, he'd simply pass away on spot.

"That she did!" 'Emrys' cheers, though his eyes showed his displeasure. "I wasn't sure that you'd know the location, so I saw fit to leave it out. Apologies."

"No harm done."

As Merlin steps back, Wesley catches his eye. The small man looks between Merlin and the fake with wide eyes, trying to communicate without words. Merlin slowly points to himself and allow his eyes to flash gold. Relief fills Wesley's eyes as he nods frantically. 

"So, Emrys. I was wondering what your birth name is," Mordred says, gaining both Merlin's attention as well as a glare from said warlock.

"I'm afraid I don't understand the question," 'Emrys' says, shoulders tense. Mordred gives a sarcastic smile and leans forward slightly.

"You see, the name Emrys is closer to a title than it is a name. Your mother wouldn't have named you Emrys, it's highly unlikely she knew who Emrys was at the time. Unless she was a druid, and even then there would've been no guarantee that you would turn out to be Emrys. So what name did your mother give you?"

Merlin bit his cheek to keep from laughing at the look on 'Emrys's' face, and he wasn't alone as Lancelot hid his mouth with his hand and Gwaine had to physically turn away from the table to compose himself. 'Emrys' shifted in his seat. "Oh, of course. Well, I've known that I was Emrys since I was five, so that's the name I've gone by for most of my life. To be perfectly honest, I don't remember my given name."

Wesley scowled at the back of the sorcerer's head. Merlin waved his hand subtly to gain the other man's attention before pointing to his own throat and flashing his eyes once more. Wesley's eyebrows furrow and he points to himself. Merlin nods. Wesley touches his fingertips to his throat and nods, eyes flicking to 'Emrys'. Then, turning back to Merlin, he holds up his hand and points to his fingers. Looking over at the sorcerer, Merlin saw that the man wore two rings.

Merlin nods and murmurs the word tomorrow in Wesley's ear as he passes him to refill the goblets of Elyan and Leon. He gestures to Percival's as well but the bigger man shakes his head. 'Emrys' gives Merlin an odd look as the servant returns to his place behind the king.

"I have a question about Merlin, sire," he says suddenly. Merlin's eyebrows furrow. First of all, what kind of question and second of all, why not ask him?

"What is it?" Arthur asks, giving the sorcerer a guarded look. The knights surveyed 'Emrys' with frowns and wary looks.

"Has he been this disrespectful to you since he fell into your employment?" 'Emrys' asks. Merlin's jaw drops and Arthur scowls. 

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean no disrespect, you highness.It's just that he rarely uses your title, and when he does it's in a mocking tone. I'm pretty sure I actually heard him call you a clotpole this morning. And a dollop head after that. It seems unusual to me that he's allowed to get away with such behavior," 'Emrys' says, smirking at Merlin with a nasty glint in his eyes.

However, his inquiry had the opposite effect than the one he had hoped for. Arthur straightens in his seat. "Regardless of your intentions, Emrys, you should learn to hold your tongue. Merlin has been my man servant for years now and his so called 'disrespectfulness' has never been an issue. I consider Merlin a close friend of mine and if you have a problem with the way I run things in my kingdom, feel free to leave."

'I- of course, my apologies," 'Emrys' mutters. Wesley looked utterly gleeful at the sight of the man's embarrassment. 

"Merlin," Arthur calls. The ebony haired male looks to the king. "Have you eaten?"

"Yeah. I had some bread before the feast since I was running behind. I'll be fine 'till morning," Merlin answers, all formality leaving his voice. Arthur rolls his eyes and orders him to go get something from the kitchen. "Oh sorry, sire. But if I do that, who'll refill your royal goblet?"

Arthur gives the warlock an annoyed look and tugs the pitcher from his grasp. "I can refill it myself, you moron. Go eat."

Merlin laughs. "Sorry, can't hear you. It's loud in here."


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Arthur called 'Emrys' into the throne room to discuss the court sorcerer situation. The fake was in the middle of discussing how he tamed the Great Dragon when Lancelot cut in. Besides Mordred, he was the one who talked about the dragons most often with Merlin. He had an interest in them and had even met Aithusa once.

"What's his name again?" the knight asks.

"Oh, he doesn't have a name. Neither does the white dragon."

Mordred was at the end of his rope. "Dragons need names to be born. Of course they have names." 'Emrys' scowls at the druid.

"Well, I didn't need to give the white dragon a name to hatch her. It comes with being the most powerful sorcerer ever, I suppose."

"That's not how that works!" Mordred shouts, eyes flashing as he slams his fist on the table. "Emrys is a warlock, not a sorcerer, and even so he still needed to name the white dragon to hatch her! You know nothing of the man you pretend to be!"

"Perhaps it is you who knows nothing of me, druid," 'Emrys' sneers. Merlin doesn't even try to stop Mordred as he leaps to his feet.

"Bullshit!" he bellows. Arthur and Leon raise in case the situation escalates. "I've meet Emrys! He's my friend and you aren't him!"

"I was wondering how long you'd let him lie," Gwaine says idly.

"Agreed. I figured Emrys was asking you not to do anything, but I still thought you'd explode earlier," Lancelot agrees.

"How dare you," 'Emrys' seethes. "I offer you my services and this is how you repay me?! By accusing me of lying!"

"We don't owe you shit," Gwaine snorts, rising to his feet. Mordred takes a step forward, hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Mordred," Merlin says, voice calm and fairly quiet. Mordred stops in his tracks and removes his hand from his weapon. Merlin makes his way around the table and sets a calming hand on the young druid's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he says. Merlin squeezes his shoulder in response and steps in between him and 'Emrys'.

"I've let you carry on your little charade, but you've crossed multiple lines and I'm afraid you'll have to leave." Merlin was speaking in a tone Arthur hadn't heard before. He was calm but anyone could see the storm brewing in his eyes.

'Emrys' apparently couldn't take a hint. "You've let me?! I'm not playing around with you fools. I could kill you a word!"

"And I could kill you with less than that."

'Emrys' roars in anger and mutters a spell, eyes turning gold as a sword flies toward Merlin's face. Merlin raises an eyebrow as he stops the weapon midair, examining it quickly before looking back to his fake. "This is from Camelot, which means you've been sneaking around in places you have no need to be. Lancelot?"

"Yeah, I'll take it," Lancelot stands and grabs the sword out of the air before returning to the table, opting to lean on it rather than sit.

"Merlin, what's going on?" Arthur asks. his question goes unanswered as Merlin watches 'Emrys' splutter. Mordred was smirking behind Merlin, enjoying the imposter's downfall. Wesley seemed to take a special kind of joy in it as well.

"How - how did you? You didn't say a word!" 'Emrys' shouts. Merlin raises an eyebrow and allows Mordred to answer for him.

"Warlocks don't need spells. They're made of magic," the druid says. The fake staggers back. merlin crooks his finger, pulling 'Emrys' to him.

"I've been wondering," Merlin says casually, lifting the man's hand. "About your rings. I know you use one to regulate Wesley's voice, but the other one?"

Wesley waves his arms and makes wiggling motions with his fingers. "To....strengthen his magic?" Percival guesses. Wesley nods.

Merlin hums as he slips the rings off the fake's fingers. "Oh, shut up. Wesley can you speak now? No? Hm..." The real Emrys closes his fist around the rings, opening it again to reveal dust. "Now? Oh that's different."

The imposter's form shrunk until he was no longer an attractive young man, but rather a wrinkly old man with bad breath. "He was siphoning off my magic," Wesley says. "Used it to look different, he's pulled this trick in a few different kingdoms. Got the money and fucked off to the next idiot. Not that you're an idiot, sire."

Arthur waves it off. "And the two of you - no, the four of you knew this whole time? Why the hell didn't you say something?"

Merlin lightly shoves the fake away from him, sending the old man floating. "Because. Emrys is a birthright, something I've unknowingly carried since I was born. I've never felt the need to flaunt it for fame or fortune. My purpose, the destiny tied to this birthright, has never been to be recognized. So, as long as he wasn't an asshole who did exactly what he ended up doing, I was fine with letting him play the part."

"You'd....lie to me about this?" Arthur asks. Merlin bites his lip and turns away. "We'll talk about this later, Merlin."

Merlin is quiet for a moment. "What's your name?"

The old man pauses for a moment before answering. "Henry."

"Well, Henry, from here on your punishment lies with the king. Have fun with that," Merlin says before releasing his magic, dropping Henry to the ground. Merlin turns around, barely making it three steps before cries of alarm sounded out.

Turning around slowly, Merlin glances at the dagger that hovered mid-air before shifting his eyes toward the desperate old man who had thrown it. "Merlin, the fire," Mordred whispers. Merlin ignores both him and the flames swirling around him.

"I know for a fact," Merlin says quietly. "You didn't just try to kill Arthur while I was in the same room."

"Honestly, how stupid can you be?" Gwaine laughs incredulously. "Have you seriously not heard the prophecy shit?"

"What prophecy?" Arthur asks.

"Merlin is destined to stand beside and protect the Once and Future King of Albion. That's you, Arthur. Your destiny is to bring Albion to an era of justice and peace. Merlin makes sure you don't die before that happens," Lancelot says. 

Henry sags down, allowing the guards to take him away without a fight. Merlin takes a deep breath and disperses the flame.


End file.
